​In December of last year, I was listening to 105.3 The Red Dirt Rebel out of Lubbock, Texas and heard a song that caught my ear. The song I had never heard before and the band had a pleasantly warm upbeat style. The name drop of “dime-store cowgirl, Kacey was her name” didn’t hurt to grab my attention either. I checked out the station play-list and found the band to be Market Junction singing their tune, “All I Really Need.” I had run a quick social media feature on them at that point, but now as Pitstop for Country has grown, I want to do a proper piece.

​Since the winter Market Junction has been gaining some momentum - and rightly so. Made up of Matt Parrish (vocals), Taylor Wayne Hilyard (vocals) , and Justin Lofton (guitar), this talented group has released two albums and some solid singles over their six year existence. Like many of the bands I cover, these guys do it for the love of the music and work full time jobs. They pay their bills and support their families and then take to the stage at night. This grind does not necessarily mean that they will have a guaranteed high level of success. Their positive attitude comes across from their social media posts; one of which even said they have not made any money in all six years. Their mindset of doing it for the love of the music and not the money is what could ultimately lead to their success.

​Market Junction has had some impressive opportunities over the past few months since I last covered the band. Most recently being the opening act for Cory Morrow at the highly-coveted Gruene Hall. Not just any artist gets the chance to play at this legendary venue and I was stoked to see the band get this opportunity. They have also opened for Mark McKinney and Max Stalling which continues to give them sizable crowds to be exposed to their Americana music. Their love of performing their music continues to put them into situations that will progress their musical career. Far too often people will give up their hobby when they fail to see results right away. The squeaky wheels gets the grease as they say.

The songs that bring out the best in the band are their upbeat tunes such as the previously mentioned All I Really Need and their fantastic Give it Time. This is the style of music that I would like to see more of from them as time passes. Their previous albums Against the Grindstone (2016) and Heroes Have Gravestones (2012) tend to have some slower tunes or somber lyrics that could really use the added spice of nice mid tempo tracks. Their harmonies on Give it Time are just beautiful and help to differentiate them from the other bands that I have heard throughout the Texas scene.

Expect to see a new music video from Market Junction in the near future and I suggest you keep your eyes peeled for a show in your area for you Texas readers. This band has refused to succumb to the crutches of pop-country and continues their steadfast focus to putting out quality music and interacting with fans on social media. Give a listen to their music below and help spread the word about their music!